NICE should re-evaluate osteoporosis drug

A High Court judge has said that the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) guidelines for the use of strontium ranelate for treating osteoporosis need re-evaluation.

NICE's current guidance states that women who have undergone the menopause, who have osteoporosis and are unable to take bisphosphonates could only be given strontium ranelate (known as Proletos) once their bones had deteriorated.

The company which makes the drug, Servier, had issued a challenge to NICE concerning its guidance. It said the 15% of patients who were unable to take bisphosphonates would have a high danger of broken bones.

The judge said that NICE was acting "unfairly to patients" because it had not released "the economic model on which its guidance was based".

NICE now have to provide this model to doctors, patient groups and other industry bodies who will be able to make comments about the data the watchdog employed when it came up with its guidance.

Michael Sumpter, chief executive of Servier, said: "The lack of transparency shown by NICE in the development of the osteoporosis guidance was unfair and potentially compromised patient care."

"The ruling will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to work with NICE to ensure that the osteoporosis guidance is updated to enable all patients to have access to the most appropriate treatments, including Protelos."